Do you need a popular houseplant plant to beautify your home? The Lily of the Valley plant (Maianthemum dilatatum) is known to be a lovely plant, even with the general kindergarten rhymes we all know. How about we thrust through knowing what this myth of a plant is about as it is an interesting one to look into amongst many others.
Many people have pondered how to properly manage and care for the False Lily of the Valley plant, sometimes known as the “wild Lily of the Valley,” because it thrives in the wild.
The top ways or best methods to see this through will be mentioned in this article. However, you get to see other fascinating things about the plant that you must know. Sit tight, grab your goodies, and get on with it without further ado.
What is the Lily of the Valley Plant
The Wild plant (Mainathemum dilatatum) is a perennial plant that thrives mostly in the Pacific Northwest. They have been around for a long time. They belong to the Asparagaceae family and Nolinoideae subfamily. Their leaves are large, glossy, and Heart-shaped. Like every other plant, it also includes stamens and tepals, four in number with the ovary two-parted that make up each flower.
It consists of white flowers and has some white stems. It is a rhizomatous plant; some other places where it blooms are Korea, Japan, Asia, and North America. It thrives well in a Northwest temperate region. Even though it has a stalk that can reach a height of 40 cm but is usually considerably shorter, it produces a flower stem that is not branched.
Maianthemum dilatatum: Family and Origin
The wild plant (Lily of the Valley) has the binomial name Maianthemum dilatatum. The name of the genus comes from the Greek words maios (“May”) and anthemon (“flower”). This plant spreads through subterranean roots and makes a lovely ground cover in woodland gardens. It blooms mostly around May, June, and July. The month of May was therefore named after it.
In France, vendors of these plants come out to sell their flowers on the First of May to welcome the spring. It is also rumored that it is called “Mary’s tears” because it started growing in the region when Mother Mary cried at Christ’s crucifixion. It is also said to have amazing symbols like humility and motherhood.
Lily of the Valley Characteristics
Maianthemum dilatatum is a wild plant that can be grown indoors or outdoors, provided that it is not consumed mainly because it is poisonous. You must keep it out of reach of children, loved ones, and pets.
Furthermore, here are a few characteristics of the False Lily of the Valley plant called the Wild Lily of the Valley. Knowing such fascinating things about plants enables you to care for them, know how to propagate them, and even the measures to nurse them.
They are mostly grown in shady temperate areas, either indoors or outdoors. The flowers on this plant grow in a one-sided manner, looking like clusters with white bell-shaped flowers. The plant’s glossy leaves, generally two, are found at the base and are Heart-shaped.
What is the Best Way to Care for Lily of the Valley Plant
Wild Lily of the Valley can be grown via cuttings or seeds. Like every other plant, you need to pay attention to them and care for them like they are very special, which they are. To manage a plant, especially the Wild Lily of the Valley, you must care for it.
Even though it grows aggressively, you must plant with caution. The best way to take care of your plant is not far-fetched. Here are a few tips for caring for your houseplant.
You can keep these seedlings in a container for a year or two. Nurturing them entails giving them the appropriate amount of water needed with diluted fertilizer. Do not neglect them, as this is a fundamental growth method. Give them what they require.
If you’re letting off with the rhizomes (fleshy underground roots), dig them up and divide them. Plant the larger ones in the new area in the fall or spring but plant the smaller ones first.
Caring for them will not require much time, but that’s a go-getter once these plants are established. The plants, in a way, since they are Native, know how to care for themselves without so much effort. They are also evasive, and they have a lengthy lifespan.
A few points to recall:
- Side-dress the new growth on the plant in the spring
- Make sure the soil is not too wet but moist.
- The plants must not be too dry.
- Remove the foliage only after which the flowers must have bloomed.
- Late in the fall, mulch with aged manure or compost.
How to Propagate the False Lily of the Valley Plant
It is known that these plants can take it from wherever you stop. They are great when you pay attention to them, but they will not take so much out of your precious time. It is a bit difficult but not impossible. Finding a suitable planting location is the first step in the wild lily of the valley care.
In the wild, these plants grow in wet, shaded woodlands. That implies the optimal planting bed will be in a cool, shady location with moist, but not soggy, soil.
Flowers of the wild lily of the valley thrive on sand, loam, or clay at any pH ranging from acidic to neutral. They will, however, thrive in soil that is high in organic matter.
Plant by reaching out a rhizome and cutting them into smaller and larger parts. Plant them 4 inches apart from each other. Water them and observe after transplanting.
Conclusion
False Lily of the valley plant is a common perennial herb with rhizomes that grow mostly in shady regions. Its flower comes with a white-bellied shape and an unavoidable fragrance with Heart-shaped leaves.
It may be a mysterious plant, but it has a long lifespan and is great for your home decor. Now that you have seen this guide growing this article will help you a lot. You can, however, do whatever it is you want with your plant for it to grow well.
